Other than Messiah, there is probably no choral work more frequently performed than Carmina Burana. But for all its ubiquity, I have never heard a tighter or more exciting performance of the work than the Philharmonic offered on Friday night.

The fabulous chorus was a small village of singers assembled from the Berea College Concert Choir, Eastern Kentucky University Singers, the SCAPA (School for Creative and Performing Arts) Children’s Choir, Transylvania University Choir, and the University of Kentucky Chorale. Their vocalism and diction alike were spot on in this impressive demonstration of choral talent.

Karen Cooksey, Director of the Transylvania University Choir, gives us insight into the choir process for Carmina. Karen is new to Transy and to Lexington, and is very excited about her role in the production.

... How would you describe the subject matter for those who are new to Orff?

Sometimes very bawdy, sometimes risqué, a lot about drinking. Momentous, colossal sound, beside very delicate soprano sounds. The well-known “Day of Wrath” opening is very forceful and identified with death and requiem. It’s also very dance-like. Many people don’t realize Orff actually wrote a trilogy, of which Carmina Burana is a part.

Choir Director and Assistant Professor of Music Karen Cooksey said that although people might not recognize the title of this particular piece, its dramatic, emotional melody will be familiar to many students because it is such a frequently used movie-trailer background.

“It’s kind of a classic action movie or apocalyptic movie showpiece,” said Cooksey. “It’s an exciting opportunity for us to get to perform something really really big and collaborative like that, especially with a professional orchestra.”

“Carmina Burana” was adapted by Orff from a collection of Medieval manuscripts, but Cooksey said that the spectrum of human emotion the piece captures is still very relevant today, exploring themes that range from love to lust, from existentialism to inebriation.

“It’s really a very angst-ridden plea for understanding why we are the way we are, and why the human condition is the way it is,” said Cooksey.

[Choir member Justin] Wright credited Cooksey with the success the choir has had with the piece.

“We wouldn’t have gotten there without Cooksey this year,” he said, “I mean, thank God for her, she’s a great conductor and we’ve made leaps and bounds since the beginning of the semester.”

"Our Americana concert will be a mosaic made of music," Cooksey said. "Each piece has its own identity, but when performed together they will create a portrait of our country's history and cultural diversity.”

Her background influences her intentions for the future of Transy’s choral program, saying she “hopes to serve as a vocal coach” to encourage healthy singing; she focuses on “teaching the principles” so students can develop skills on their own...Cooksey wishes to work on projects with other Lexington art and music groups in order to add even more to the already flourishing art community in the city. Her vision for the future of the music program at Transy is one of collaboration and integration between off- and on-campus events and organizations, while encouraging and directing students to make the most out of their collegiate music experience.

Choir director Karen Cooksey will make her Transylvania concert debut with the Choir performing excerpts from Carmina Burana by Carl Orff. The Choir will perform the entire piece in November with the Lexington Philharmonic.

Conducting fellow Karen Cooksey (Composition Four Heartfelt Anthems by David Del Tredici) explains that Four Heartfelt Anthems offers its composer "the chance to speak to what he enjoyed about his own childhood and provide a bridge between him and the children performing. The work provides the chorus with a challenge beyond the learning of the basic "do re mi", particularly as the first three anthems are unaccompanied and force the singers to rely on their inner sense of pitch. The third movement, subtitled Fuga, is an excellent early exploration of counterpoint in a more modern guise." The work gives the performer a chance to "be an expressive musician as well as an advanced one."